The All-American Book Review

Have you ever had a book that you were just so excited about that you couldn’t stop talking about it? That was me as soon as I heard that Susie was writing The All-American. I knew I needed a copy and I knew I was going to love it. Let me explain.

I live in the heart of baseball – Cooperstown NY. When I was a kid, they filmed part of A League of Their Own in my town. My aunt and cousin were extras in the movie. I have seen it approximately one billion times lol. Not only do I live in a baseball town, but I love baseball myself. I played little league when I was a tot up until seventh grade. Then my school said I couldn’t play any more because I had to play softball. I have a strong dislike of softball, and so I just didn’t play anything. But I always wanted to. I played in my yard, tossing the ball to myself, hitting it, you know the drill.

Baseball is everywhere around this town. As students, we were required to work at the Baseball Hall of Fame games. If I wasn’t working them, I was in the stands watching them. I have some balls that are signed, but don’t ask me who signed them because I cannot remember lol. I’ve met a lot of cool players and have been to the Hall of Fame more times than I care to admit. I have seen the display they did for the female league that is represented in this book. I watch baseball on tv now with my hubby and we’ve been fortunate enough to attend a few games in Pittsburgh (my fav city).

There’s not a ton of baseball in Christian Fiction, so when something comes up that I can completely relate to, you bet your bottom I’m gonna get myself a copy and read it as fast as I can! My goal is to take my copy to the Hall of Fame and snap a pic near the ladies display. But right now it’s tourist season and so I want nothing to do with Main St. lol. Anyways, now that you know my story, here’s more about the book!

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About the Book

The All-American
Author Susie Finkbeiner
Published by Baker Books
on July 11, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Historical, Fiction / Small Town & Rural, Fiction / Women
Pages: 368

Two sisters discover how much good there is in the world--even in the hardest of circumstances

It is 1952, and nearly all the girls 16-year-old Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and raising children in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Bertha dreams of baseball. She reads every story in the sports section, she plays ball with the neighborhood boys--she even writes letters to the pitcher for the Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

When Bertha's father is accused of being part of the Communist Party by the House Un-American Activities Committee, life comes crashing down on them. Disgraced and shunned, the Hardings move to a small town to start over where the only one who knows them is shy Uncle Matthew. But dreams are hard to kill, and when Bertha gets a chance to try out for the Workington Sweet Peas, she packs her bags for an adventure she'll never forget.

Join award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner for a summer of chasing down your dreams and discovering the place you truly belong.

Amazon | Goodreads | Baker Book House

My Perspective

I don’t even know where to start with this review. I enjoyed every single moment of this story, even the parts that made me cry! It was so well written, so well put together. My favorite from Finkbeiner by far!

Let’s start with Bertha. Oh how did my tomboy heart love her character. Her and I had so many things in common, one of them being baseball of course. When I was a kid, I played little league with the boys. In fact my dream was to be the first woman on the Atlanta Braves. Of course, that dream died once I got older and was told I couldn’t be on the boys team anymore because there was a female equivalent – softball. I hated softball. Those who say it is the same, let me assure you that it is most certainly not. The ball is different. The field is different. The pitch is different. Need I go on? Anyways, I understood Bertha’s love for the game and some of the picking on she got from her fellow ball players. I lived it. But what makes Bertha’s character even better is her tenacity and strength. When even her very best friend seemed to have deserted her, she kept going. She didn’t let the circumstances surrounding her family stop her from moving forward.

Then there’s Flossie. My goodness I enjoyed her character so much. Her love for stories of course is something I can easily relate to. But the teasing in school – that hit me the most probably (Yep I was picked on a lot in school). She wasn’t afraid to fight back and that’s what I liked about her. She made me giggle, a lot. She just had this way about her that made her special. A spark if you will. And the epilogue!!! Well I can’t really say anything about it, but it was perfect for Flossie’s character.

Baseball aside, this is a story about family. What does a family do when it is accused of something so horrific that the entire community essentially shuns them? Do they cower? Do they move on? Do they still show their face? Finkbeiner brings up a topic and time period that we don’t see much about in fiction today, but I find myself wanting more. She showcases so many different emotions in this family, something that I could see being in many families in a similar situation. But she doesn’t diminish the different opinions and feelings. No, she shows readers how to bring out the best in each and come together in a beautiful and extraordinary way.

Then, as you draw near the end and you think everything is going to be pink roses – BAM. Finkbeiner hits you with a plot twist that you just don’t see coming. Your heart aches. You almost have to put the book down for a moment so that you can process what you just read. I’m getting emotional just thinking about it. But as much as it was emotional, it was something that really enhanced the story. I can’t say why or how, you’ll need to read. But to see this family deal with that plot twist was just, well, encouraging and beautifully written.

Now if I had one nitty gritty little detail that I would critique, I would say that I really would have loved an epilogue that talked about the entire family, not just Flossie. Only because I wanted to know how they made out. But what was written about Flossie was just perfect. I sighed as I closed the book. This baseball loving gal will be rereading this novel several times in her life, I can tell. Yes it’s that good!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Susie Finkbeiner is the CBA bestselling author of The All-American, The Nature of Small Birds,  All Manner of Things — which was selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book — and Stories That Bind Us, as well as A Cup of Dust, A Trail of Crumbs, and A Song of Home.

She serves on the Fiction Readers Summit planning committee, volunteers her time at Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and speaks at retreats and women’s events across the country. Susie and her husband have three children and live in West Michigan.

Find her at Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

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